Cicero was one of the greatest and most human men of antiquity. He was on the closest terms with political giants such as Pompeius and Caesar and far surpassed them in oratorical and legal skills. Since so much of his work survives, he stands as a prism through which we can study the last years of the Roman Republic, above all its transition to the rule of one man. Through a selection from his writings, this book provides a chronological outline of his life and political career, tracing his many successes and ultimate failure.